Nigerian Oil Marketers May Lose Licences for Failing to Tame Worsening Petrol Scarcity
The Nigerian government has issued a warning to oil marketers across the country, threatening to withdraw their licences if they are found guilty of hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.
The warning comes in response to the ongoing and worsening fuel scarcity that has gripped several states, particularly in the North.
For weeks, residents in Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and many other states have been grappling with a severe shortage of petrol, leading to long queues at filling stations and, in some cases, complete closures due to the lack of supply.
The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), added a warning that oil marketers found hoarding petrol or selling it to black marketers in jerrycans risk having their licenses revoked.
The warning was delivered by Ogbugo Ukoha, the Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure at NMDPRA, during an inspection tour in Abuja.
In a statement on its X handle, the downstream regulator announced a crackdown on the illegal sale of petroleum products.
On July 27, NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye attributed the fuel scarcity in Abuja and Lagos to a disruption in the discharge operations of several vessels.